Governments around the world are always trying to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to security operations, and rightly so.
The consequences of being lax about security can be catastrophic.
State-backed attacks have become more commonplace, and cybercriminals are becoming bolder in the threats they make against public agencies’ data.
Governments have unique security needs: protecting sensitive information and critical assets is a 24/7, 365 days-a-year job.
Security solutions must be durable and flexible enough to meet their ever-changing complex needs that are continuously evolving.
The solutions should provide the foundation for unprecedented possibilities, cost savings and efficiencies while reducing complexity and risk.
Protected governments require strong security and a frictionless user experience
When you think of the government, you probably imagine a place where security is paramount, and user experience is minimal.
But the reality is that many government organizations are working to increase their digital presence, which means providing more services to citizens on the web.
This makes them particularly vulnerable because of their size and complexity.
They often have thousands of systems that operate independently with little to no oversight for cybersecurity measures.
As governments embrace the digital age, they need more than ever before to make sure their citizens’ information is secure.
That means building user interfaces that are easy for people to use and ensuring that all of the data is protected by strong security measures.
How to future proof security operations?
1. Identify your cybersecurity skills gap.
Before you can start filling your cybersecurity skills gap, you have to know where skills the gaps are.
The biggest problem facing government leaders is that they “don’t know” what they “don’t know”.
You can bridge your cyber skills gap by making a list of skills and knowledge gaps and then using that information to develop employees and/or hire people with the required capabilities.
Some challenges might have solutions that you aren’t aware of, but once you research them, you can make informed decisions about how to fill those needs.
2. Provide educational opportunities in cybersecurity
Beyond spending more money on research and development, governments need to increase educational opportunities in cybersecurity, including making computer science courses available at all grade levels.
The more people that have a fundamental understanding of how digital infrastructure works and what makes it secure—as well as an appreciation for its vulnerabilities—the better.
Once they leave school, these students will be in high demand.
According to CyberSeek, there were approximately 1 million unfilled cyber-security jobs in 2017, and that number is expected to double by the end of 2022.
3. Embrace machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)
Machine learning and AI are extremely powerful tools that organizations can use to assist in quickly and accurately identifying trends, threats, or other valuable pieces of information.
After all, we’re in a data explosion, and organizations are working harder than ever to stay ahead of threats.
Part of staying ahead of threats is keeping up with advancements in technology.
Machine learning and AI have opened up incredible possibilities for fighting cybercrime.
These breakthroughs will enable governments to find vulnerabilities faster and respond more quickly.
One thing is clear…
In order for today’s organizations—whether they be corporations or governments—to survive in tomorrow’s world, they need tools and solutions that can keep pace with criminals who continuously work hard on new strategies designed to outsmart existing capabilities.
4. Align the goals between your IT and security teams
Most public agencies are struggling with common challenges, including insufficient staffing and budget and a lack of strategic planning and alignment among internal stakeholders.
These issues prevent IT and security teams from being more agile in achieving their common goals.
The security and IT teams are often at odds in many organizations.
This is because each team has very different goals, which often do not align with one another.
Security’s goal is to protect the company from risk and threats.
On the other hand, IT wants to make sure that employees can access their data and applications as quickly as possible.
This is why governments need to align their IT and security teams — they should work together to make sure that both sides are protected while still allowing employees to do their jobs quickly and efficiently.
Conclusion
The government has a responsibility to keep the public safe, which inevitably means taking steps to ensure that they’re teaching their people and creating policies that encourage safety and convenience.
Every day, new innovative technologies are creating new methods of carrying out cyberattacks and breaches.
As such, it’s not enough for the authorities to simply attempt to block these attacks at their source.
They also need to take proactive steps to get ahead of the game—not waiting for the hot new way to attack to come along, but being aware of what it is and making sure that there are safeguards in place before it can be used.
This requires them to put themselves in the shoes of a potential cyber attacker and think from that perspective.
Sources:
https://www.triskelelabs.com/blog/applying-ai-to-safeguard-cybersecurity-in-government-agencies
https://www.daltrey.com/biometric-security-solutions-for-government/
